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Monday, 11 February 2013

FourFourTwo at Barnet v Aldershot

As you may or may not know, there is a feature about
Barnet in this month’s FourFourTwo magazine. A couple of the guys were at the
Aldershot game on New Year’s Day, with one of the writers (Nick) and a
photographer. Following my previous piece I wrote for them on last season’s
relegation scrap (which you can find here), I
was asked to give my input again on all things Davids and how the campaign thus
far was going.

I didn’t realise at the time, that there would be such a
lengthy feature about us and obviously a lot of my content got cut out. I thought
I’d blog my responses to the questions I was asked as well as attaching a copy
from the magazine. I’ve copied and pasted it so it will be in Q&A format
(although I was always taught at Uni to steer clear of that).

How
did the fans feel when Davids arrived? How crazy/ unbelievable was it?

It was a strange time. A couple of weeks before, one of
the youth players took to Twitter saying Davids had been spotted at The Hive
(our training ground). Obviously at this point, nobody knew what he was doing
there, but rumours soon spread. I think if we hadn’t known about that one
incident, it would have been a massive shock, but personally I was waiting for
it to be announced. I was still surprised though – especially when it was
explained he’d taken up a player/manager role! I still have to pinch myself
because it doesn’t seem real – a legend like that at our club!

What
do you think the effect has been on the club?

Well the results have certainly improved. I think he’s
been a good influence on the young players in the side as well. It must be
special for them to be working alongside someone of his stature, and obviously
they want to impress. It’s definitely a bit different than playing for likes of
Barcelona and AC Milan. I’m not too sure what things are like behind the
scenes, but I don’t think they’ve been good for a while – let’s just say that
the set-up, staff-wise, doesn’t seem to the best.

Can
he understand football at this level?

The results so far suggest that he is a quick learner;
since his arrival, we’ve taken 20 points from 14 games compared to 3 from 11
before he joined!

How
has he personally played at this level?

His debut was amazing – he lasted the whole 90 minutes
against Northampton, captaining the side in the process. His passing, in
particular, was incredible, as was his all-round work-rate and stamina. Not bad
for a bloke of 39. All this contrasts massively with reports of his time at
Crystal Palace – the last time he played competitively some two years ago! Since
then, his performances have been less spectacular but nonetheless he’s still a
commanding presence on the field. Needless to say, ‘The Pitbull’s’ feisty
attitude has led to, er, a number of yellow cards...

What
kind of football are you playing this season?

The plans pre-season were for a “total football”
Barcelona-style ‘tiki-taka’ approach; in truth, we’ve seen very little of that
so far, though the arrival of some experienced players from a higher level
(including Davids and John Oster) have clearly raised the standard.

Has
Davids had much contact/ a good rapport with the fans?

Obviously being a major star of world football, he always
gets a very good reception from the fans.When he went off injured at Exeter, even their fans applauded him as he
left the pitch, which he acknowledged sportingly.

What
did you think about Robson, and what do you think about his sacking?

When it was revealed that he’d be first-team coach it has
to be said that the response was somewhat underwhelming. With no disrespect to Mark
Robson as a person, I think a lot of people were hoping we’d get Martin Allen
especially as he said he’d be up for the job himself. Robson hadn’t had
experience of managing on his own, so I think he needed support from the start.
It’s a results-driven business and without a win in our first 11 league
matches, it was hardly an auspicious start to his managerial career. Things
noticeably picked up when Davids joined as Head Coach, but the concept of two
men in charge is notoriously fraught with difficulty, particularly given
Davids’ experience and ambition. Something had to give. Hopefully Robson will
enjoy success at a future club.

Was
he unlucky? Was the situation untenable as soon as Davids arrived?

It could be argued that many clubs would not have given a
new manager 12 games in charge, particularly after such a dreadful start. At
this point in the season, the team weren’t even gelling particularly well
either – it wasn’t even a case of us being unlucky or suffering narrow defeats.
We were, quite frankly, hopeless. The arrival of ED clearly created new
tensions but ultimately, Robson appeared popular with the playing staff, hence
the number of sympathetic tweets from players when news broke of his departure.

Do
you think you'll stay up, or will it be another nerve-shredder?

Going into the New Year, we were the ninth-best team
form-wise over the past 11 games and enjoyed the best Christmas in League Two
with seven points from nine. Based on that form, the possibility of new
signings and a number of players coming back from injury, we have the potential
to avoid our final day dice with the drop – and even aspire to mid-table
mediocrity. The current form of the teams around us down in the depths also
gives genuine cause for optimism.

How
do you see the future for Barnet?

So much hinges on our plans for the new stadium, The Hive
and whether Davids stays or tires of the ordeals of League Two. Even Nostradamus
would have trouble predicting the future. Having followed the Bees for 19
years, I can safely say that the next few years will not be boring!

Is
Davids a flash in the pan or a sign that the club have big ambitions? Is your
chairman particularly ambitious?

The concern with having someone of Davids’ cachet at the
club is that he could quickly become bored with the rough and tumble of League
Two and seek new challenges. At the moment though his commitment seems genuine enough
and there have been odd comments in interviews where he has spoken about
long-term plans and the squad for next season. Personally, I think it would be
wrong for us Bees fans to get too far ahead of ourselves though as experience
shows the club tends to disappoint. Our chairman, Tony Kleanthous, has been
accused in the past of lacking ambition (i.e. not spending money) but his
stewardship of the Hive project and continued search for a new stadium would
suggest otherwise. The signing of players like Collins John, John Oster and Davids
himself also indicate that his plans are indeed forward-looking, if not
unsustainably so.